Time Heals All Wounds
by Zia-k9
Summary: Shzuo finds Izaya wandering the streets in horrible condition with no memories of who he is or how old he is. The bartender vows to get Izaya back to normal, but can he really take care of someone, especially if that somoene is Izaya? As Shizuo tries to get Izaya's memories back he begins to forget about how much he hates Izaya and starts to treat him more like a little brother.
1. A Shocking Discovery

Chapter 1

That little flea Izaya hadn't been showing up lately and as calming as it was not seeing his smug mug around Ikebukuro it was also getting boring. Roaming street without a little target practice is getting dull. I'm nearing my limit of patience with that guy, if he doesn't show up soon I'm going to take a large object to his window and see if that gets him out here. I don't really believe he's holed up in his fancy little hideout, maybe he's finally gotten in over his head and somebody had offed him, although if that happened I would want it to be _me _that closed the little flea's eyes for the last time.

Of course before I get the chance to destroy his crib he came waltzing down the street right in front of me. I don't notice right away but there's something a little off about the way he's walking, maybe not so narcissistic or full of himself? I don't know, but I'm not really interested in that right now, I pick up the nearest large object, which happens to be a trashcan, and hurl it at him as hard as I can.

Instead of the usual reaction however Izaya screams bloody murder as the trashcan knocks him off his feet and starts crying. That's when I notice something else is wrong. He isn't wearing his tacky little jacket. He's stilling wearing black pants, V-neck T-shirt, and black shoes, but he has a black hoodie on instead of his fuzzy little jacket.

It's very strange.

Some random woman runs over to Izaya's side and starts comforting him. Delivering another shock almost worse than the one I'd received when Izaya had started crying. Seeing that woman hand Izaya some candy and having him _take it _and _eat it _and give that woman a sweet smile knocks me dead away.

Either the flea was drunk or this is some new game he thought of. Either way, I am getting to the bottom of this. I'm just about to stomp over there and demand to know what Izaya is playing at when I realized that's probably exactly what the little flea wants. As soon as I think that a very Izaya-like plan enters my head. If I stay in the background and follow him around maybe I can find out what, exactly, is going on here.

Izaya and the women talk for a while and then Izaya walks away, waving childishly. He walks away and I follow him. He wanders around town for a while, steals some food from some people eating at an outdoor restaurant while they aren't looking, steals some other stuff from other people while they aren't looking, and then as the sun begins to set he takes on a more direct path. We are just going down an ally when a small brown dog with floppy ears wanders across Izaya's path. I hold my breath waiting to see what will happen. Normal Izaya won't give an animal a second thought, but this Izaya instantly falls on his knees and starts _petting _the thing. He actually obsesses over it for a while. I'm on the verge of hurling a trashcan at him before he decides to stand up. And then what does he do but _pick up _the puppy and _carry it with him _giggling.

Now I really want to hurl a trashcan at him.

I want to say I'm surprised when Izaya starts skipping along, but really that's the first in character thing he's done all day. That's Izaya for you, pointing a knife at you one moment then prancing around the next, you just never know with him.

Take now, for instance, I've always known that Izaya 'loves' his beloved humans, but animals? I've never seen him as an animal person. Not with that fur coat anyway, but he's ditched that now and it makes him look like an entirely new person. The puppy isn't helping that image either.

I watch Izaya as he skips down a few more allies with his puppy then crawls into a large, cardboard, refrigerator box and curls up with his puppy.

That definitely throws me over the edge. Why would Izaya go here when he has his fancy apartment and his well-paid secretary? Is he staking someone out? Is he waiting for information? Is it some type of undercover mission? I honestly have no clue what to make of it, I'm positively stumped on this one. I'm not trying to say my opinion is the be-all end-all here, I'm more brawn then brains, but there is an answer here and if anyone has a chance of figuring it out I, Shizou Heiwajima, have as good a chance as anyone else.

The flea will not get away with this! Whatever…this…is…?

After I promise myself that, and resist the urge to throw another large object at the flea, it starts raining. Soon I'm soaked through, but I want to see where Izaya is going to go. Surely he won't stay in that box. But the more I wait, and watch him curl up in the driest place, farthest inside the mouth of the box, the more I realize that he's not going anywhere. Not home, not to someone else's house, he is staying here whether it rains or snows or whatever else might happen.

I am completely shocked and dumbfounded. What the heck is going on here? There just isn't an obvious solution.

A clap of thunder sounds and the flea flinches, shrinking farther into his box with wide, terrified eyes. What the heck? The flea…terrified? I don't get it.

Well, even if the flea feels like getting cooked I don't. I decide to go home. My nice warm, dry home, where the only strange thing is me. I can deal with that. I deal with it every day. But then, I thought I could deal with anything I Izaya could throw at me too, but I'm reconsidering that decision. Trust me.

When I get home I take a nice hot shower and try to forget what the heck I just saw, which I'm still trying to figure out. I eat dinner and go to bed as the thunder and lightning intensify and the storm gets worse.

The next morning I wake up, go to work, normal day honestly. On my way home I realize I'm passing by Izaya's box, I also realize that it's really close to my house. Maybe Izaya's spying on me. That's a creepy thought.

Well, checking something never hurt anyone. If he's still here I'll know he's finally tipped over the edge.

I press myself against the wall beside the ally and clear my throat. "Izaya?" I call roughly. Normally I would scream it at the top of my lungs, it's kind of my battle cry, but I don't want a repeat of yesterday so I tone it down a little.

"Izaya's not here," Izaya's voice drifts around the corner. He doesn't sound as self-assured as he usually does.

"Yeah?" I ask. "Then why do I hear his whiny little voice?"

"My voice is not whiny!" Izaya says, jumping out from behind the wall, switchblade drawn. He levels the blade at my chest.

"What where you point that thing, Orihara," I snap. "What the heck is wrong with you? I'm not in the mood for your games." Now that he is pointing a knife at me I can barely keep my rage in check.

"Then don't come after me anymore, Orihara," Izaya replies in the most threatening voice he can muster, which isn't very threatening. Then it registers that he called me Orihara, which is _his _last name.

"What are you talking about, flea?" I ask, this exchange is making me uncomfortable. I'm just itching to throw something or lite up a cigarette.

"You threw something at me yesterday so I guess you're back now to finish the job," Izaya says. "Just leave me alone, I don't want any trouble." Izaya sounds like he's having a hard time keeping back tears now. Which is very abnormal. Izaya doesn't cry.

"Stop messing around, Izaya!" I grab the front of his shirt and shove him against the wall, hoisting him high over my head so he can't knife me. Almost instantly needle-like teeth sink into my ankle. I turn around to see the puppy Izaya picked up yesterday biting into my ankle. I shove my arm into Izaya's gut, causing him to writhe around and squeal in pain. I kick the dog of my foot, flinging it against the wall under Izaya's dangling legs then turn back to deal with Izaya. Only to realize that blood is soaking out of his shirt and onto my arm.

I freeze and my eyes widen. Did I finally do it? Have I killed Izaya.

The rain drums down on both of us, diluting the wet stains. The bright pink ones on my white sleeve and the darker ones on his black clothes. I stare up at him in awe thinking I'd really killed him this time.

Then the flea chokes in my face, it's a raspy cough, but it's not the kind of sound a dead person makes either. It actually scares me enough that I accidently let him drop to the ground. He curls up in a ball and keeps coughing. My long-time adversary suddenly looks very pathetic and small. Have I really spent most of my life chasing this guy around? At the moment he doesn't look anymore then fifteen years old.

"What happened to you, Izaya?" I demand. I don't know if it's the rain or the shock but a shiver runs up my spine.

Izaya reaches out to the limp form of the puppy, shark toothed brute, and closes his eyes. "Is that my name?" he asks. "Is Izaya my name?"


	2. Big Decisions (Medical and Otherwise)

**Thank you everyone who read this! You guys are awesome. Usually I'm going to post on Mondays and maybe Thursdays/Wednesdays if I get inspired...er..yeah. **

**Thanks for reading! **

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Chapter 2

Ikebukuro, the city where anything can happen. The city never sleeps and it never stop surprising you. Or maybe that's Izaya. I thought I was ready for anything the city could throw at me: gangs, knives, gunman, psycho informants, but Ikebukuro is very fond of keeping you out of your comfort zone and reminding you how much you still have to learn.

* * *

I look down at Izaya with an expression halfway between shock and disgust. I thought if anyone could stand up to my strength and invincibility it would be this guy, but apparently I was wrong.

Another crack of thunder rumbles over my head accompanied by a flash of lightening. Izaya's dog whimpers and crawls on his belly to his master's hand and starts licking it. A really pitiful sight.

I can't take it, I just can't take it. I pick up a dumpster and hurl it at the brick wall shaking whatever kind of building it's attached to on its foundation.

Someone throws up a window and starts cursing me out, I look up and give the woman a death glare. She quickly pulls back inside and slams the window shut.

I jerk my shades off and stick hang them on my vest then crouch down to get a closer look at Izaya. The little pint-sized canine growls at me and I yell for it to go back to the box, gesturing angrily and using a colorful array of profanity. The dog skulks off with its tail between its legs, but it doesn't go far.

I turn Izaya onto his back, disturbing the pink puddle that's forming around him. He seems to have passed out. His switchblade is lying on the ground about a foot away, he must have dropped it when I let him fall. The wound seems to be on his stomach or chest so I pull his shirt up to get a closer look.

Part of this feels like an alien investigation, the other part just feels wrong, like I'm invading holy ground or something stupid like that.

Izaya has a makeshift bandage wrapped around his stomach that looks like it was made out of someone's old T-shirt. It's covered in blood. Old crusty stuff and fresh blood that stains my fingers when I pull the bandage away.

It's not like me to cringe, but something about vulnerability and weakness just doesn't agree with me. It's like it's so pathetic it hurts or something and the long gash across the unconscious flea's stomach is just too much of both. It makes me sick to my stomach just looking at it. I pick up another dumpster and hurl it into the air.

Hopefully that won't come back to haunt me.

I let Izaya lay in his puddle and pace back and forth. This is the moment I've been waiting for, but somehow killing Izaya when he's lying on the ground, dead to the world, unable to even remember his own name isn't the kind of victory I have in mind. It won't be a real win. I have to kill him when he's completely aware that I've beat him despite everything and that I'm the better man. That won't happen if I let him die on the street like some dirty piece of vermin, which he is, but he's my vermin and no one else is going to take the ultimate prize, giving him the death blow, except me.

That decided I scoop I Izaya's limp body and continue walking to my apartment. We're both soaked through and Izaya's body temperature is starting to worry me. I touch his fingers. Nearly icy cold to the touch. I walk a little faster.

Izaya's fragile health isn't the only thing I have to worry about. If people see me walking through the streets carrying a seemingly dead Izaya the rumors will never end. Who knows what they'll try to pin on me.I hunch over, trying to cover him a little bit and hurry to my apartment.

After fumbling with the key for much too long I finally open the door. Izaya gets unceremoniously dumped on the couch and I realize his mangy mutt followed us and somehow snuck through the door. I sigh and slam it shut, blocking out the storm.

Shaking the water out of my own hair I turn up the heat and then search around for a blanket or something. First comes warmth. I'm pretty sure the cold will get to Izaya before that wound and blankets absorb blood as well as anything else, right?

You may have noticed this already, but just to clarify: I am not a medically skilled man. Being injury-free almost every day of your life can do that to you.

I grab a heap of fabric out of a closet and dump it on top of Izaya. He whimpers, but doesn't open his eyes. I can't tell if his lips are turning blue or not and turn up the heat a little more than change into dry clothes. No use in watching him nonstop until his eyes open. That probably won't do him much good. I pace around the kitchen and lite up a cigarette. Nothing like a little smoke and fire to warm you up. I have to grin at that thought.

Halfway through my cigarette Izaya's little dog comes in and starts walking around my feet shamelessly begging for food or attention or whatever dogs want. I yank the fridge open and pull out the first food item I find.

"I expect you to eat all of that," I say around my cigarette as I dump the bag of carrot sticks onto the floor. I'm not really sure how those got in my fridge in the first place.

Oh well, when in doubt, give it to the dog.

After my second cigarette I start to get worried about Izaya and check on him. He seems to be a little paler then usual…and not as snarky. Maybe his lips are blue. I can't really tell.

"Wake up, dang it!" I yell, losing my patience with the sickness and weakness that Izaya has been taken over by.

It works though. Izaya's eyes fly open and he looks around frantically trying to identify the threat.

"Good. You're awake," I say nonchalantly, rolling the cigarette between my lips. "How do you feel?" I suppose that's the best place to start. I don't think I've ever taken care of a sick person before. Of course, I've never really had the need to. Is Izaya really sick? I wonder worriedly.

"I-I feel like.." I lean closer so I can hear the quiet words better. "Like I've been run over….with a tank…and then drowned."

Well that's…interesting. I'm not really sure what to do about that, though.

"How does that cut feel?" I ask. Maybe that would be easier to deal with. I think this is a type of problem solving method called Chop It into Chunks and Deal with the Chunks or something. Most of my problems can be solved by throwing a large object at it.

"What do you care?" Izaya asks. While I'm glad to see some of his personality is intact it still gives me quite a shock. "Aren' you just-" a coughing fit cuts him off. "-gonna kill me or something?" he finishes.

Wow, his Izaya-ness is still there…a lot more than I thought actually. Good.

"Why would you-" he starts coughing again. It's a painful sound that makes my chest hurt. "-unless you're my father-" he's cut off by another coughing fit. "-or something." He looked me over. "I must come from a rough family."

Apparently Izaya has decided that whether I like it or not I am his father now. Yeah, right. I may be taller than that little flea, but I'm not much older.

"That'd be…my…only reason to trust you after all," Izaya chokes out then falls back, limp.

"Hey! I didn't finish with my questions!" I bellow, but his eyes are closed and I get the feeling he's passed out cold. Great. I am definitely the wrong person to leave medical attention to, especially when the patient doesn't give me any _symptoms! _How am I supposed to know what's wrong if he won't tell me anything? How am I supposed to know anyway? I'm not a doctor.

I start pacing again. It's the only way I can think of to relieve all this stress without throwing something. Loud noises probably aren't good for sick people. Maybe I'll make pacing my new hobby, it's kind of addictive at this point.

Then there's that father angle Izaya seems to want me to play for some reason. I can't fathom it at all, but if it means he'll stay still long enough for me to bring back the old Izaya so I can kill him fair and square it seems like the flea has given me the best idea I've had all night. Of course, I don't want him going around calling me daddy or something stupid like that…maybe I could convince him I was an uncle or something. He might just be crazy enough to believe that. After all, who in their right mind would think I am related to the flea?

Well it only has to work until Izaya is back on his feet and he's pretty resilient so…not very long, right? Yeah.

Now I just have to psyche myself up for looking at that wound because honestly, even though my scarring memories of it can't exactly be trusted, it looked a mess. Best to do it while he's under. That way he won't feel it…right?

This medical stuff is driving my insane.

I push aside the blankets and peel back his shirt. It's warmer, but still soaking wet. Nothing I can do about that though. I carefully take off the makeshift bandage and drop it on the floor as if it has some sort of disease, which is might. I don't know. After that I get my best look at the long slash across his stomach. It's not bleeding very badly now, but still I don't like it.

I walk into the back hallway and dug around in the closet until I find an old beat up first aid kit in the very back of the closet. I've probably never used this in my entire life and I probably won't ever need it again.

I open the white box on the floor next to Izaya and look through it. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I pull out a long white strip of guaze. This looks promising. I dig around some more looking for some sort of medicine that prevents infection or increases healing or whatever. It seems like you should always put medicine on a wound. Besides, it would probably help Izaya heal faster, right?

I finally find a bottle with the promising inscription 'wound ointment' in Kanji. On the back it says, 'Prevents infection' and some other things I don't bother to read.

I don't want to touch the wound so I get a paper napkin out of the kitchen and smear some of the ointment on with that. Then I wrap up Izaya's chest, trying not to wrinkle the bandage, but hurrying. I don't want to spend any more time of this then I have to.

When I'm finished I heap all the blankets on top of him. Iwalk into the kitchen, thinking of what I want for dinner, but quickly realize I've lost my appetite. Izaya doesn't look like he'll be eating anything soon. The dog on the other hand is busily finishing the carrot sticks. He looks like he's almost choking himself, at the rate he's going at I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

"You're the only hungry one," I tell him, leaning wearily on the counter. "No one's going to take those from you."

The dog keeps eating until he finishes the last crumb and looks up at me expectantly as he finishes crunching the carrots.

"No more. You're lucky I don't send you back out into that storm," I say, pointing at the window. Rain is beating against it and every so often thunder rumbles and lighting brightens the room.

The dog seems to understand and slinks away to the couch where he joins Izaya.

It reminds me of what a big mistake I'm probably making. Whatever. If Izaya comes at me in that state I don't doubt a human of normal strength would be able to overpower him. With my superior strength I shouldn't have any problem dealing with him.

I shake my head and walk down the hallway to my room. Either Izaya will die during the night or I'll have to deal with him in the morning. That thought sends a twinge of fear running through me because as much as I hate him I _don't _want some petty wound to kill him instead of me. That would be so anticlimactic. I would never forgive myself if I lost to a knife wound. I look back at Izaya's resting form. I've done all I can…or know…to do, now it's up to him. I have to get some rest anyway. I'm not his mother, I shouldn't be losing any sleep over him.

I turn out the lights and walk up the hallway to my room. After changing out of my bartender's uniform I climb into bed and try to fall asleep. Luckily it doesn't take long for me to fall into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for my two house-guests.

I slowly open my eyes as more barking assaults my ears. Why the heck can't the neighbors shut their dogs up at night. Then I realize the barking is too loud and remember the dog and Izaya.

I sit bolt upright and jump out of bed trying to figure out what's going on. The dog immediately starts running around my heels barking its head off. Since pets aren't allowed in my apartment I try shushing it, then scoop it up and clamp its mouth shut. It thrashes wildly, but my only worry is not crushing it.

"What is it, dang dog?" I hiss and more muffled barks make it out of the dog's snout.

Wondering if some food might help it shut up I wearily carry it into the kitchen. Normally I would hurl it against the wall, but for some reason I'm feeling a little off. Then I walk into the living room and between the dogs barks I hear Izaya's labored breathing. Except, it's gotten worse.

I drop the dog, who starts running around the room like a crazy thing, and switch on the lights so I can get a better look at Izaya. He doesn't look very good. In fact, he looks pretty awful. I've seen people like this before…and they usually don't last long.

Without thinking I pick him and kick open the door to my apartment. If people feel like complaining then they can do it at their own risk.

I take him through the streets of Ikebukuro until I reach the building a certain underground doctor uses as his headquarters. I don't want anyone to know I'm taking care of Izaya, but I don't want the informant to die either.

I kick the door, not hard enough to kick it in this time, and yell, "SHINRA! CELTY! OPEN UP THIS DOOR BEFORE I DO IT FOR YOU!"

It doesn't take long for the door to fly open. A sleepy Shinra in his pajamas is standing in the doorway. Celty is standing behind him, curious to see why someone would wake them up in the middle of the night no doubt.

It doesn't take very long for Shinra to take the scene in and react. His mouth drops open and he starts stuttering. Celty rapidly types and shoves her PDA in my face.

[What did you do to Izaya? And why did you take him to us?]

Wait-they think I did this? And they don't understand why I want Izaya patched up, well to tell the truth, I don't understand either. But it's going to take too long to explain that now.

I brush their questions (and Celty's PDA) aside and shove past them into an apartment, slamming the door behind me.

"Can you help him?" I ask, still ignoring their questions.

Shinra looks a little taken aback. "Well…yes." Then he starts to wake up a little more. "Of course I can, Shizuo, who do you think you're dealing with?"

"Then do it, fast, before he dies," I exclaim shoving Izaya's limp body into his hands. Shinra manages to hold Izaya up before Celty takes over and between the two of them they manage to get Izaya into a medical room and started working on him.

I fell back onto the couch, relieved that it won't be my fault if Izaya dies or lives. I'm really not the kind of person you want your life to depend on in these kinds of situations.

The clock reads three o'clock and before I know it my eyes are closing and I'm fast asleep again.

I wake up to the alarm on my phone. I pull it out of my pocket and quickly switch it off. Time to go to work. I sit up and realize I'm on Shinra's couch. I'm in Shinra's house! I'm so shocked I roll right of the couch and land on the floor with a thud.

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**Izaya: By the way, she doesn't own Durarara or anything like that. Thank goodness. Look at the way she writes me, like a crazy psychopath. **

**Me: You ****_are_**** a crazy psychopath**

**Izaya: I prefer the term lover of humans**

**Me: I'm still gonnna go with Sociopath. **

**Shizuo: Shut up before I throw something!**

***silence* **

**Me: anyway review, follow, just read it!**

**Izaya: and tell her not to write me as a crazy sociopath**

***giant object flies threw the air* **


	3. Not All Wounds Heal

**Sorry this chapter is so short, buuuuuuut it is and there's nothing we can do about it. I thought about merging it with chapter 4 but I wouldn't have been able to do that and still have it up for today. Most likely there will be an update Thursday so stay tuned. **

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Sometimes things happen here that no one understands, or cares to try to understand. Sometimes it's better that way. Knowing too much can be bad for a person. At least, that's how I've always seen it. Izaya seems to believe that having access to all knowledge is the only way to live. I guess that's just one of our differences.  
I lift my head off the floor only to have a black PDA shoved in my face.  
[Are you alright? What happened?]  
I wave it away. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just forgot where I was for a little while thet's all." I push myself onto my feet. "How's Izaya?"  
Celty types a little longer than necessary, it looks like she's back tracking a lot. [Shinra managed to stabilize his condition. It's nothing a little treatment can't handle.]  
"What's wrong with him?"  
[Infection, malnourishment, and exposure to the weather caused him to develop a high fever. Shinra managed to bring it down. He cleaned and sewed up the wound as well.]  
That's all well and good, but it isn't what I'm really wondering about. I cut my eyes around the room as if I'd find some eavesdroppers and then say slowly, "I…is…what's wrong with his head? Does he have a concussion?"  
Celty moves her whole upper body back and forth negating the question and types on her PDA. [Shinra's not sure…He thinks it might be amnesia….among other things.]  
I shoot her a questioning look.  
[Something very bad may have happened to Izaya.] She types. I give her a 'go on' look. She hesitates before showing me the next message she types out. [He seems to have forgotten everything about himself and every time he wakes up he starts screaming. Shinra suspects…] the message trailed off.  
"Suspects what?!" I demand, my fingers itching to grab the couch I'd just fallen off of and hurl it at the dulluhan.  
[That Izaya may have been captured and tortured] she admitted finally.  
"Why would he suspect something like that? Izaya can fend for himself. Heck, he can even take a vending machine to the chest and survive. I don't know many people who can do that, do you? Huh? Huh?" I don't realize that I'm holding the couch above my head, ready to drop it on top of her until the headless rider kicks me in the stomach. It doesn't hurt but I falter and drop the couch on my foot. I shove it off yelping and cursing.  
[Keep a cool head, Shizuo.] The dulluhan orders. I glare at her. I don't remember the last time anyone assumed I even had the ability to keep a cool head. [Breakfast is ready if you want any.]  
I nod and follow her into the kitchen. Whatever Shinra's having for breakfast look delicious, but I barely notice as I eat because I'm too preoccupied. I don't even notice Shinra trying to make conversation until he jabs his fork into my arm out of annoyance.  
"You're phones is ringing," he explains with a sour expression when I glare at him.  
I whip out my cell phone and answer it.  
"Hello?" I ask.  
"Shizuo? Can you meet me a little earlier than usual?" Tom asks.  
"Yeah. Different place too?"  
"You guessed it. I got a big group who owes me something and they're not going to pay up without a fight. We're meeting by that greenspace. You know the place right? Near that new company that seemingly sprung up overnight."  
I nod. "Yeah, I know it." I was just over there with Celty not too long ago. Sometimes it's beneficial for both of us just to stand and stare and something. I'm not sure why Celty likes it, but it helps clear my head for some reason. "I'll be over there in twenty, okay?"  
"Sounds good, Shizuo. See you then." I hear the click as Tom hands up.  
Celty and Shinra look at me expectantly. Not so much looking on the dulluhan's part as much as turning inquisitively. I always find it interesting that she expresses emotion so well without a proper face...or head.  
"Tom wants me to meet him early for work so I have to get out of here. Catch you around." I get up and walk towards the door.  
"See you at dinner, Shizuo," Shinra says cheerfully. I stop dead in my tracks.  
"What was that?"  
"I was just assuming that you would want to check up on Izaya and then you could stay for dinner, of course," Shinra says.  
"It'll be alright if you just call me up," I say shortly. After all, it's not as if I care about him. "I'll be happy if he doesn't die."  
Shinra seems a little taken aback, but I leave without another word slamming the door a little too hard on my way out.

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**Izaya: that sure was short. I wasn't even in it!**

**Shinra: at least people talk to you**

**Shizuo: I was kind of preoccupied, okay! **

**Me: anyway, review, follow, favorite, or just read it!**

**Izaya: but she really likes reviews. It's fun to watch her read them because she gets so excited about it even if the review doesn't say much. It keeps me entertained. **

**Shizuo: well they say an artists work is never really completed until someone discovers it and appreciates it. **

**Shizuo: whatever...**


	4. Dealing with Shock and Food

**This one is nice and long to make up for the last one being so short and the fact that I might not update Monday. It will definitely be Thursday, but Monday is...most definitely out. **

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Ikebukuro. Overrun by more gangs then your normal city could handle. Covered in more gossip then humanly possible, but through it all it some people are considered to be the stars of the cityscape. The Dollars. Izaya Orihara. Celty Sturluson. Yours truly.

Half the city must have showed up to see me duke it out with these punks. Seems that they were part of some sort of prominent gang though. Doesn't matter to me or Tom. You pay or I'll make you pay, that's how it goes down around here. I hate violence, but some people just set me in a rage.

I swing the stop sign knocking at least three of the gang members off of their feet. They slam into some of their buddies taking more people out. I slam my fist into another guy's face as he runs at me from behind and hurl someone else up into a tree.

According to Tom only one or two of these guys actually owes money, but the whole gang showed up out of loyalty. How annoying.

In the middle of the melee I realize my phone is ringing. After elbowing another man in the gut, knocking him to the ground, I take it out and answer it.

"Whatever you want, spit it out-STAT. I'm in the middle of something right now," I growl, hurling the stop sign into a group of men who were just getting to their feet. I toss another guy after it just to make the message clear.

"Shizuo, it's me, Shinra." Great. I wonder what he has to say. Inviting me to lunch maybe?

Someone swings a pole at my head. Grabbing it inches from my face I hurl him across the street.

"I need you to come down here _right now_!"

"Like I said, I really can't. I'm kind of in the middle of something," I snap, while simultaneously knocking another member out cold.

"I know, I know, but it's urgent," Shinra pleads.

I laugh. "Urgent? _Urgent?! _This fight is 'urgent,' my job is 'urgent' if you don't define that word real quick I'll make you eat it!" I threaten.

"Izaya wants you. Please, please come," Shinra begs. That's what qualifies as urgent these days, huh? I'm working here and I'm expected to drop everything to run to my sworn enemy's side?

"You can tell him I'm busy."

I pick up a police barricade and bulldoze half the gang against a brick wall. I hold them there and pull up another sign, to whack anyone who comes within striking distance. I hold the phone against my cheek with my shoulder. A frustrated silence punctured by Shinra's sharp, angry breaths is all that comes over the line until a piercing scream starts. I lean against the police barricade so I have a free hand to hold the phone away from my face with.

"What the heck is that supposed to be?!" I scream into the phone angrily. The hot surge adds to my temper and my next victim gets thrown halfway down the street.

"Now you see why you need to come right now?" Shinra asks smugly.

I grit my teeth against the noise and slowly begin to decipher it. Mostly its nonsense but there's one reoccurring phrase that keeps repeating over and over again. The words suddenly hit me like a sign post: help me, help me, help me, save me, save me, save me, guy that throws stuff.

Well I guess my name managed to slip his mind along with everything else.

"Fine," I consent. "As soon as I break these guys up I'll come."

"Thank you, Shizuo. You can't ima-"

"But be prepared for when I do, if I don't work out all my anger on these punks you're next," I threaten, cutting his grateful speech short.

I can hear him gulp on the other end of the line and finally he manages a nervous laugh. "See you then, I guess, Shizuo."

The line goes dead and I flip my phone shut. Stuffing it into my pocket and turn and face the remainder of the gang.

"Just pay up already," I growl, holding a vending machine threateningly above my head.

A wallet lands at my feet. I pick it up and toss it over to Tom, who counts the money. After making sure it's all there he nods to me and I drop the vending machine inches away from them.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Tom says as he walks away.

I fall into step next to him and a few blocks later ask if I can take the rest of the day off. Tom gives me a strange look but consents, since he doesn't actually have any pressing business. He tells me to be careful and I say something to the same affect and we part ways. Him to his office and me to Shinra's place to see what sort of terror awaits me.

Shinra opens the door almost as soon as my hand touches it. His face is one part delighted at my swift arrival and nine parts apprehensive, waiting for me to punch his face in. Instead I simply walk inside and he shuts the door behind me.

"I-ah-actually have some business to attend to, but Celty can help you out. Celty, my love, Shizuo's here," he calls. As soon as she appears he grabs his bag and makes it out of the door so quickly it almost shuts on his lab coat.

[I'm glad you are here, Shizuo.]

I don't answer and she leads me to the room Izaya's in. He looks both worse and better than before since he's not struggling to breath and his face doesn't look red and sweaty like it did before, but there are straps holding him down at his wrists, ankles, and across his stomach.

[Shinra had to restrain him for his own good.] Celty explains. [He's almost on his last dose of knockout gas, Shinra doesn't think it will be good for him if we use anymore. He thought maybe you would be able to calm him]

"And why would he think that?" I ask caustically. After all, Izaya and I are sworn enemies.

[He didn't start freaking out until he came here. Shinra thinks this place must remind him of the bad memories that led to his amnesia and since he seemed content at your house you'll have a soothing effect on him.]

"Because there's nothing like seeing you're sworn enemy to sooth the nerves," I quip.

If Celty had eyes she probably would have rolled them. She shoves her PDA in my face a little more forcefully then necessary. [Just do it.]

I suddenly notice Celty is still wearing the yellow cat-eared helmet she wears on the streets of Ikebukuro.

"What's with the helmet?" I ask.

[He won't remember me. Shinra doesn't want my appearance to send him over the edge.]

"It is a little shocking," I admit.

[I'll be in the other room. Call if you need me.]

She turns and walks out of the room, softly shutting the door behind her. In some ways Celty is a kinder, gentler person then her appearance let's on.

I stand near the door for a long time. For some reason I'm nervous to approach the bed were Izaya is lying. Maybe I just don't want to see my sworn enemy in his weakened state. The thought of him being vulnerable and weak scares me more then I'd care to admit. Finally I psych myself up enough to cross the room. As soon as I lean over the bed his eyes snap open revealing panicked, bloodshot orbs.

"Where are they?" he hisses in a hoarse voice. "What do they want?" His eyes land on me. "Please…I'm scared." Tears well up in his bloodshot eyes.

I pull away in shock. This isn't Izaya. This isn't happening. I don't even know what this is anymore. I back away until I run into the door. There's a strange ringing in my ears. I can't ever remember feeling like this before. I want it to stop.

I sprint out the door and run straight into in Celty. We both tumble to the ground. Now that I'm out of the room I'm feeling loads better already. The dulluhan gets to her feet and offers me a hand. I take it and she pulls me to my feet.

[Shocking?] the PDA reads. I nod. [I understand. He is not the man we know as Izaya anymore.] I nod again numbly. [Lunch?] I shake my head. My appetite left around the same time as my ability to speak.

For the first time I'm starting to doubt that Izaya will get better. In fact, I'm certain he'll never recover and whatever happens to him he'll never be able to act like a sane human being again. How did this happen?

[Comfort him.] Celty's next message reads. I realize Izaya is screaming again, but the sound is very faint through the door. It must be partially soundproof.

"I don't think I can," I admit, lighting up a cigarette with a shaking hand.

[You can. You're the most powerful man in Ikebukuro.]

"If Shinra can put up with that and still be sane I think he deserves the title more than I do," I say.

Celty shakes her helmet back and forth. [I'll go in there too, with you. It won't be as bad for you then, but I'm warning you he's scared to death of me.]

"Thanks," I mutter sarcastically and before I can protest she's shoved me through the door again. She drags me next to the bed and stands there, waiting for me to do something. I don't know what she's waiting for though. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what she even expects me to do. I'm going to be more of an emotional wreck then Izaya if this keeps up.

I clap my hand over his mouth. "Just shut up would you?" I snap as the noise immediately cuts off. "That's better."

Izaya looks back and forth between Celty and me.

"You'll be fine, so stop screaming. It's putting me on edge. Shinra and Celty are here to _help _you. I don't know what you've been through, and quite honestly, I don't care so let's just put the whole thing behind us, huh?"

Izaya stares back at me with wide eyes.

"I-uh-if it helps…I'll never…it'll never happen to you again. You don't have to worry about them anymore because you have me now. Not to brag or anything, but I'm the best bodyguard Ikebukuro can offer," I say becoming more sure of myself as I go on. "Now if you promise not to scream I'll take my hand off your mouth."

He nods and I pull my hand away experimentally. He doesn't make a sound and my hand drops to my side.

"R-really?" he asks in a quivering voice. "N-no matter what…you'll protect me? Fro-m-m them?"

"Yes," I promise. "No one is going to hurt you anymore."

His eyes calm down a little more. "Who is that?" he asks, cutting his eyes over to Celty then quickly looking away.

"Celty Sturluson. She's a good friend and a great courier and she's not going to hurt you," I say. Which is pretty deep for me.

"She….is scary. Have her take off that helmet, please?"

Yeah, if you think she's scary now imagine her headless, with black smoke rising out of her neck, and scythe in her hand, I think of saying, but bite it back.

I realize Celty has made the first move, holding her PDA in Izaya's face. His eyes move back and forth as he reads what she's written then he lays back. The longer we sit here the calmer he seems to get.

I notice Izaya's hand is straining against the strap holding it against the bed. I put my hand on top of it and his fingers wrap around mine in an iron grip. I look at his face in surprise. His eyes are closing and a calm expression is spreading across his face.

[Good job. I knew you could do it.] Celty has a certain 'I told you so' look about her. I glare at her and move to walk away, but Izaya's slim hand tightens around mine in a stronger grip.

[I'm going to get some ootoro and see if he'll eat. Stay here.] I nod. Under his new baggy sweatshirt Izaya is slimmer then is probably healthy. The informant's favorite food is probably the best thing to tempt his appetite with. The fact that it's fatty won't hurt either.

I wait for Celty because there's nothing else I can do with Izaya clinging to my hand like a Pit Bull. Seriously, he has a good death grip when he wants. Although, I suppose if you fight with a knife you'd need to hold onto it and not let go. Otherwise, you might killed with your own weapon.

"So…Izaya…how are you feeling?" I ask in a rather lame attempt to break up the silence.

"Good. How're you?" he mutters without opening his eyes.

"Well…been better," I decide.

"Huh," is all he says. He reminds me of a cat lying in a pool of sunshine. Perfectly content. However the loss of circulation to my hand proves otherwise. He's holding on so tightly his fingers are turning white.

"Does your dog have a name?" I ask, thinking of the dog I left back at my apartment.

"Sic'em killer of bad guys," he replies with a hint of humor. You can't even shorten that kind of name into an acronym. "You may be wondering why I named him that," Izaya continues, slitting his eyes open and sliding them as far as they go so he can see me better. "It's be-" he starts a coughing fit before he can finish. Doubling over as hacking coughs rack his body. The restraints keep him from moving much and I can't tell if that's a good thing or not.

Finally the coughing subsides and something smacks me in the back of the head. I turn around to see Celty's retreating figure and a bottle of medicine on the floor at my feet. I pick it up and read the label.

"Looks like this is supposed to help," I mutter as I try to measure out the right dose with only one hand.

"What's that?" Izaya asks, worry creeping into his voice as he strains to see what I'm doing. Too busy balancing the cup of medicine on the edge of his bed to answer I simply choose to ignore him. "I said _what's that_?" he repeats an edge in his voice.

"Cough medicine for that cough," I answer. "Now let go of my hand so I can help you take it."

It takes a while but I finally pry my fingers out of his. Then there's the problem of forcing the stuff down his throat. It smells really good but Izaya is convinced it's some sort of poison or drug. Even after I hold the bottle in front of his face for fifteen minutes letting him read every character at least twenty times over. That or his reading skills have deteriorated.

Eventually I get fed up and just punch him in the gut. He tries to double over as the breath is forced out of his lungs and I take that opportunity to throw the stuff down his throat. Once it's in he tries to spit it out and I have to cover his mouth and nose to the point where I was sure he was going to pass out before he swallows it.

"That was cruel," he manages between gasps of air. His lips are tinted blue.

"It was for your own good," I say.

He laughs bitterly. "Sure it was."

"Well I guess we'll see if you cough again."

After that's it's a stare down. Izaya tries to come up with a convincing cough when a natural one doesn't rear its head, but I catch him. It was a pathetic attempt anyway.

I sigh in relief and collapse against Izaya's bed when Celty reappears holding a plate of ootoro.

Izaya's eyes light up, but only until we offer it to him.

"I won't eat it," he declares turning his head as far to the side as he can.

Celty types something on her PDA but she has to hand it to me because he won't turn his head to read it.

"Just eat some," I say. I'm tired of dealing with an Izaya that won't take his medicine and eat his favorite food.

Celty tries to push some into his mouth, but he clenches his lips together.

"Leave this to me, Celty," I snap taking the food. Izaya's eyes snap open. He knows what is coming. This isn't really a permanent solution, but it's all I can think to do. I give him another good one in the stomach. Celty seems a little taken aback. The informant has the same reaction as before and we go over the same drill. Holding Izaya's mouth and nose closed until he's forced to swallow the food or risk passing out. I get the feeling he wants to remain conscious more than anything else.

[I don't think that's a permanent solution.] Celty informs me with a hard look. I'm not sure how motorcycle helmets give hard looks, but she manages.

"It worked," I say a little sassily.

[Do you want to open up his stomach wound?]

I've actually forgotten about that. I glance at Izaya's shirt, waiting for it to develop a red stain.

[Exactly.] I shrug sheepishly and she types more down on her PDA. [Now we try me way.]

"Typo," I say, pointing at the screen.

Celty hastily jerks the PDA away, types something furiously, and shoves it back in my face.

[Shut up.]

"Work on your comebacks," I say. "Not everyone is as dull as Shinra." Or as OCD. Celty gives me a dulluhan death stare and starts 'her way' of force feeding.

Actually she pleads with him for a while first, then threatens for a while, then, finally, just gets on with it.

Putting her hand on one side of his face she jams her finger into his mouth and pries his teeth open. When they're open wide enough she pops the food in and covers his mouth. He can still breathe though so I'm not sure how she's going to get him to swallow it. We could wait here all day. She starts running her finger down his throat until his finally swallows.

"How'd you learn that?" I ask, slightly impressed.

[Shinra had to do it to a cat once.] I nod. I can faintly remember the same procedure being performed on a cat in my childhood. Celty types something out. [This isn't working. I think we're going to have to have Shinra put in a feeding tube.]

"Ouch," I mutter, rubbing my own throat.

[Do you have enough time to feed him the rest of that bite by bite?] Celty demands gesturing towards the still full plate. Almost an hour of struggling has yielded poor results. The thirty plus bites still left on the plate seems to mock us.

"Not really," I admit. "But there has to be another way?"

[You think of one and Shinra will take out the feeding tube. For now, we can't afford to let him starve to death.]

I slump my shoulders in defeat.

"What are you talking about?" Izaya demands, obviously feeling safe in opening his mouth again.

"A potential threat," I answer.

His eyes widen in horror.

"If you don't eat the nice doctor is going to shove a feeding tube down your throat."

"No…no! I won't let'im! He won't touch me! It's not happening! He'll never get it down my throat."

Celty shoved her PDA in my face. [Idiot.] I wave it away.

"But if you eat he won't have to," I continue.

"It's poisoned isn't it," Izaya says flatly. "I know it is, you slipped up. I have you, now I'll never eat it!"

I bury my face in my hands trying to get rid of the impending head ache. Celty slaps the top of my head. It in't very hard, but it holds reproach.

After that Celty and I both wait in the kitchen for Shinra to get back. The ootoro sits on the table between us. If I don't know better I would say it's mocking us. Celty's PDA sits between us as well because, honestly, neither of us really feel like talking. I light up a cigarette and let my muscles relax as the soothing smoke enters my lungs.

Shinra opens the door some time later to see us sitting there like that.

"I see," he says even though I remain silent and Celty doesn't make a move to retrieve her PDA. His eyes land on the nearly untouched ootoro and dart to the computer screen where our most recent search 'methods of force-feeding' is still open in the browser. "I see," he repeats, sitting down as well. "Little success with forcing some food down his throat." It's phrased as a question, but only comes out as an observation. No one bothers to reply, letting the fatty tuna speak for itself "I had a feeling it would come to this."

Celty and I exchange glances.

"But I have a solution! I was talking to Simon-" I bang my head against the table without even bothering to listen to the rest, but I hear it anyway. "And he suggested that I try this." He pulls some sushi out of his bag smiling.

[Idiot.] Celty types after eyeing the sushi.

"Trust me, this will definitely work. Take my professional opinion on it."

[You do it then.]

Shinra leaves the room confident in his solution only to come back sometimes later with his glasses askew and no good news.

[Feeding tube?] Celty suggests. Shinra nods listlessly. [You didn't really think that was going to work did you?] Celty asks in an attempt to cheer him up. The underground doctor shrugs.

"I think we have a lot of work ahead of us."

I don't think I've ever heard a more true statement in my entire life.

* * *

**Me: Izaya passing up fatty tuna? That's something I thought I'd never see. **

**Shizuo *shudders*: me either. **

**Izaya: it's all very well and good for you! I didn't get the rest of that ootoro, the injustice. **

**Me: what did we do with that? **

**Shizuo: I think I fed it to Izaya's puppy. What was his name again..?**

**Izaya: Shut up, Shizu-chan! **

**Me: follow, review, or just read it! And thanks to all the great people who have already followed, read, and reviewed it you guys are the reason I got past chapter 2! **

**Izaya: Maybe if we get enough good reviews that'll convince those evil conspirators to give me the ootoro I deserve. *puppy eyes* Those reviews do put her in a good mood. **


	5. Trust and Freedom

**I know, I know this was supposed to be up Thursday, but I had to clean my room before our family gathering so I didn't have time. On a brighter note this means that you get back to back updates since they next one is going to be up on Monday (when it's supposed to be)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Keeping with tradition the city just keeps throwing more surprises at you. You think you know everything about it and what's real and not real? Guess again, because for some reason Ikebukuro likes to keep you guessing. Maybe it adds to the mystique. I think it's annoying. Change only adds up to violence in the end. And there's nothing I hate more than violence.

Izaya isn't looking so thin or sick, but he still looked pretty awful. Shinra doesn't like looking at him either and spends most of his time out of the house. This leaves Celty to do most of the work because between Izaya's new dog Killer, or whatever he called it, and my job with Tom I barely have time for anything else. Least of all spending the (thankfully) few moments with Izaya that Shinra manages to force me into every day. He argues that it's good for Izaya, well it's not good for me! If this keeps up I'm going to need a psychiatrist. Why, you ask? BECAUSE WATCHING SOMEONE SCARED AND DEPRESSED WHO USED TO BE THE MOST FEARLESS PERSON YOU KNEW GET FOOD SHOVED DOWN HIS THROAT AND-forget it. I can't even continue.

"He's certainly improving," Shinra says, flipping through some papers on a clip board. I cut my eyes across to Izaya's drugged form. Saying he's improved is like a slap in the face. His fever is gone and he's starting to look like himself again, until you look at his face. He looks like some scared twelve year old kid.

"So?" I say.

"I think he should get some exercise. He's healthy enough for it."

I give Shinra a hard stare. Izaya's been strapped down for a couple weeks now. It's hard to imagine him walking anywhere.

"We'll have to wait until he's alert again though," Shinra says, mistaking the meaning of my stare. "In the meantime Celty made dinner. It smells really good, I helped her find the recipe."

"I was actually thinking-"

"No!" The underground doctor cuts me off. "You have to stay. He doesn't trust Celty or myself enough so you're going to have to help him."

Somehow the doctor always manages to shove these things on me. 'You do it, Shizuo, it's good for him' or 'No one else can' honestly I think they're just excuses. When I can do something that no one else can it usually means throwing something heavy, not caring for an injured person.

"Fine," I mutter. If Celty is as good a cook as Shinra makes her out to be at least I'll get a good dinner out of this.

* * *

Izaya is fully alert when we finish our dinner. Shinra took the feeding tube out of him before dinner when he was still under and now he's unstrapping the informant.

"What are you doing?" the flea demands.

Shinra doesn't answer and leaves as soon as he finished. "Call me if you need anything," he tells me on his way out.

When I turn back around Izaya's sitting up, shaking.

"You feeling okay?" I ask. His eyes are sort of bugging out and he looks like he's gagging.

"Never been so happy to get something out of my mouth in my entire life," he says in a spaced out tone, holding his throat.

"I bet." I pause. "Why wouldn't you eat anything? We would have made you eat it anyway and it tastes better the other way."

"Poison. I had ootoro and-" he breaks off, trembling like a leaf. "They even ate some of it in front of me. It didn't affect them but…..It was awful."

So that's what Izaya's been through. I suppose if he remembers that it's a good thing, or just very depressing. Slowly he stops shaking and the fearful look fades.

"Where's my dog?" he demands next. "And what are you going to do to me?"

I shrug.

"So it's that guy in the glasses and his kitty-cat friend running the show, is it?" Izaya asks aggressively. I can't tell if this is because of fear or his seemingly insatiable curiosity.

"Not really. He's just a doctor and Celty is….mostly harmless." Izaya isn't impressed with my answer.

"And what does that make you?"

"The guy that brought you here before you died."

Izaya makes a skeptical sound in the back of his throat. "Why would make you do a thing like that?"

I shrug. I don't really know myself.

I'd moved across the room as we were talking until I was standing next to him and suddenly he grabs me around the waist and buries his face in my shirt. Unsure of how to react I awkwardly reach out and pat him on the head.

"Thank you," he whispers. I'm not sure why he's so grateful, but I don't ask.

The flea seems pretty shaky on his feet, Shinra told me he might be since we never gave him a chance to get stronger after his sickness. He also doesn't seem very anxious to let go of me. We stand there for a long time. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing and he's just standing there like he'll never let go of me. I'm glad when he finally does, all the closeness is kind of making me uncomfortable. That and it's Izaya. As a rule I find it's not very smart to let your enemies get too close to you. The fact that this isn't the Izaya I know and hate only serves to make it creepier.

"I think you should get some exercise now," I say.

"Like what?"

Well he has me there. "Dunno. Shinra just wants you to get active."

Izaya's eyes blaze and I see a spark of the old informant in them. "Well if that's the same guy that stuck that blasted tube down my throat he can just die in a hole for all I care about him and his 'exercise,'" he says defiantly. By the way he keeps looking at the door I can tell he cares quite a bit about Shinra and this is just a tough front.

"Just walk to that chair," I say, pointing at a chair across the room.

Izaya takes the challenge in stride, even though it seems I overestimated his strength a little bit. Halfway there he starts coughing and hacking so hard he falls to his knees. When I try to help him up he holds out a hand to stop me.

"I…can do this…..myself," he chokes out. After his coughing fit subsides he slowly gets back up and makes his way to the chair. When he reaches it he collapses into panting, obviously proud of himself.

"I see our patient is improving!" Shinra says brightly, popping through the door. He's holding his hands behind his back and it's making Izaya suspicious. He's on the edge of his seat like he might try to make a run for it. "I have something for you," Shinra continues barely able to contain himself. I stand next to Izaya, putting my hand on the back of his chair because I'm suddenly reminded of the promise I made to protect him.

"Cut the dramatics, Shinra," I say.

"You're no fun, Shizuo," he says sulkily and hold out something to Izaya.

"What is it?" the flea asks.

"It's a popsicle. It's really good. Celty made it." Shinra gets a dreamy look in his eyes. The same look he always gets when he talks about Celty. I clear my throat in an attempt to bring him back to earth. His eyes come back into focus. "Here you are," he says, putting the popsicle in Izaya's slim hand. "Enjoy!" He waltzes out of the room and shuts the door behind him.

Izaya looks it up and down and smells it. Now that Shinra's gone he's not as tense. I pull up an office chair and sit down spinning it around in a slow circle.

"Ewwwwww it's too sweet."

I look over. Izaya's tongue is hanging out of his mouth and I have to bite back a laugh when I see the look of horror on his face. The fact that it's Izaya just makes it more amusing.

"You take it, I don't want it," he says, holding it out to me. I take it and stand up.

"I'll see if Shinra has any other flavors."

"No."

I look back at Izaya and he gives me a hard stare. It reminds me of the old Izaya so much I almost want to throw something at him. Clenching my fists until my nails bite into my palms I resist the urge.

"I'm going to get a drink," I say.

Izaya raises his eyebrows, probable letting his imagination run away with what I might mean by drink.

"Of milk," I add. He immediately looks disappointed. I put the popsicle in my mouth and leave the room, carefully closing the door behind me. The icy treat _is _sweet. It's delicious! I suck on it while I dig around in the fridge for some milk.

[That was for Izaya.] Reads the screen that abruptly ruins my field of vision. I turn around to see Celty.

"He didn't want it. Something about it being too sweet," I say, pouring myself a glass.

Celty slips her PDA in her sleeve and grabs something out of the freezer. [Try this one.] She prompts, handing me another popsicle.

I finish my milk and my own sweet treat and take the new one to Izaya. I open the door. "Here's your new popsicle, flea. No sugar, courtesy of-" I realize I'm, talking to an empty room.

"I-ZA-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

**Shizuo: we trusted you and you ran away. What'd you do a thing like that for?**

**Izaya: it's my job to keep you guys on your toes. **

**Shizuo: I wish ****_I _****was the one that kidnapped you because I would have finished the job!**

**Me: :.( you don't mean that**

**Shizuo: oh, but I do! get over here, flea!**

**Izaya: 0.0 read, review, like, follow, HELP ME! **

**Me: Shizuo! Izaya! you can't fight like this!**

**Izaya: *pulls out knife* eat steel, Shizu-chan!**

**Shizuo: you're supposed to be sick and feeble!**

**Me: next time I'm going to have Celty and Shinra talk because you two obviously can't handle the pressure!**


	6. Improvements and Adjustments

**Sorry this took so long to update. Thanks to all my followers and favoriters and especially my reviewers. If you guys didn't step in I would never update this at all! You inspire and encourage me. Speaking of which, I have a loose idea of how I want this to go but if you guys have any ideas to hesitate to speak up. I want your best ideas so I can try and squeeze them into the fanfic. **

* * *

The streets of Ikebukuro are dangerous. They hold gangs, intrigue-all sorts of things that are much too dangerous for your average person to face. I'm probably considered one of the more dangerous aspects of Ikebukuro, but aside from myself there are plenty of dangers the average citizen should try to avoid. Most people either join a gang or try to stay as far away as possible from them. For the most part I don't care either way and Izaya hasn't either, but new Izaya might run into some problems with a few dangerous people.

I run through the streets looking for Izaya. I don't want to attract attention by calling his name so I concentrate on scanning the crowd. A few people try to pick a fight with me, but I shove them aside. Where could he be? I hadn't been gone that long had I? No. Definitely not. I stop running and sit down on a park bench. My phone pings and I pick it up.

**_Looking for someone? _**the text message reads. I quickly call the number.

"Hello," a flat voice answers.

"IZAYA?! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?! WHEN I FIND OUT I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I scream into my phone. A couple of people give me strange looks.

"….maybe I won't tell you then." It seems more like scared shock then a taunt. I roll my eyes. Dealing with Izaya now is somehow the same while being absolutely different at the exact same time.

I let out a frustrated breath. "Sorry," I mutter, which only makes me angrier. I don't like apologizing. "Now," I take a deep breath to keep my voice from shaking in anger. "Where are you?"

Izaya laughs. "Don't you wish you knew."

I pull the phone away from my ear so hard I almost throw it in the fountain in front of the park bench I'm sitting on. I put the speaker very close to my mouth and roar, "TELL ME RIGHT NOW YOU LITTLE BRAT! I'VE BEEN HALFWAY AROUND THE CITY LOOKING FOR YOU!"

"Only halfway?" the flea asks in mock disappointment. I snarl, gritting my teeth. It's like dealing with Izaya…only he has the sense of humor of a child.

Izaya suddenly screams and I hear a clatter on his end of the phone. What's he gotten himself into now? "WHERE ARE YOU?!" I demand.

"Hello? Is that you, Shizuo?" Shinra's calm voice asks over the line. "I'm still at the house. Where are you? I thought I told you to stay with Izaya."

In the house is he? In the house? After all the time Izaya had _never even left the house! _

This time I really do throw the phone. Letting out a yell of rage I pick up the park bench I was just sitting on. People start screaming and one teenage kid tries to take a picture on his cell-phone. I hurl the park bench at him and he barely manages to jump out of the way.

* * *

I put my sunglasses back on and retrieve my cell phone from the ground. Then I walk back to Shinra's place. The sun is setting so I assume it's been a good hour or so since I started my rampage. I walk along the not-so-quiet streets taking in the city. Ikebukuro is a busy place and it never sleeps. Seriously, if you can't take noise or light you're gonna want some earplugs and heavy curtains while you're trying to sleep.

There's always action in Ikebukuro. Especially with the Yellow Scarves getting all full of themselves.

I make it back to Shinra's house and open the door. Only to find a very interesting scene in the living room.

Shinra is standing near the couch, the light is shining off his glasses so you can't see his eyes, making him much more imposing than usual. I realize what I at first thought was a pillow is actually Izaya. He's hugging his knees against his chest with his head buried in his arms. I shoot Shinra a questioning look.

"Shizuo," he says brightly, ruining the imposing scene. Once his head moves he looks like the same overexcited idiot again. "I'm so glad you're back! Celty was gone by the time I found him _talking on her PDA._" Shizuo shoots the curled up informant a death glare. "And, well, he kind of freaked out when he saw me." The underground doctor smiled apologetically.

"Huh," I say.

Izaya looks up when he hears my voice and flies across the room to grab me in another bear hug. He buries his head in my chest with a small sob. I awkwardly let my arm drop around his shoulder. Shinra smiles and leaves the room. Honestly I don't think he'd have the smug expression if Izaya were so attached to _him. _It's actually pretty ironic that Izaya apparently only feels safe around me. I tap the raven's head. He looks up, tears are streaking his face.

"Are-uh-you okay?" I ask haltingly. He nods. "You-uuuer-seem to have recovered well."

"I was so scared," he breathes.

"What?!"

"I didn't think you were coming back." He hiccups. "After I made you so mad."

I catch sight of Shinra's face watching us from the kitchen. He looks like he's watching a television show with a particularly cute ending. I snarl at him and he disappears.

"Did Shinra scare you?" I ask, using a lot of self-control not to add 'somehow' at the end of that question. Izaya doesn't bother to answer, only squeezes me tighter. "I see."

In the end Celty saves me from my awkward position by entering the apartment. Izaya immediately let's of me, and watches Celty walk toward us out of the corner of his eyes. She stops at the counter and picks up her red laptop since Shinra now has the PDA Izaya stole from her.

Celty types out a message and shows it to Izaya, he nods and points at Shinra. She types another message and shows it to me.

[How is everything?]

"It's okay. Depending on what definition you're using," I mutter.

[Izaya looks better.]

I shrug. He _looks _fine. It's whatever's going on, or not going on, in his head that I'm worried about.

[I was thinking that maybe you should take him back to your place. Izaya's house is out of the question and I don't think he can stay here much longer before he cracks. Izaya doesn't mind me as much anymore, but Shinra is still a major problem.]

No kidding. Then her other implications caught up with me.

"My house, _my house? _You want me to take him and have him live in _my house? With me?" _

Celty cocks her helmet to the side. [Yeah. Why not?] It's clear that the dulluhan doesn't understand what she's talking about.

"Can't he just stay here?"

[No. You're taking him home with you tomorrow.]

I let out an angry breath. "Fine. Hey Iz-" I break off when I realize he isn't standing next to me anymore. I turn and see him looking out the window of the apartment. Celty follows my gaze and brightens.

"What?" I ask, confused.

Celty doesn't answer. Instead she goes to the window and looks out of it as well. I join them trying to figure out what they are looking at. The way Izaya has his nose pressed against the glass I figure it must be something pretty interesting. Looking out over the sea of people going about their business I don't notice anything interesting. There isn't a gang confrontation or a robbery going on its just people walking around like sheep.

"What are you guys looking at?"

Celty shoots me a look as though I ruined something extraordinary by asking a stupid question. Izaya, however, doesn't seem to notice.

"Look at all the humans just going about their business. It's fascinating," he says.

Then realization hits me in the head. Of course, his humans! Izaya was always talking about how much he loved them. Maybe this means he's coming back to himself. Suddenly the boring people take on a whole new interest.

"Izaya? Look at me," I demand. He turns his head and shoots me a questioning look. "What comes to your mind? Just spit out the first things that comes to your mind," I say, before he can overthink it.

Izaya cocks his head looking at my face. "Tall?" he asks, trying to gauge my reaction.

I shake my head impatiently. "Do you hate me?" I ask tired of beating around the bush. I'm a very direct person.

Izaya pulls his head back his eyes widening. "Noooooooooooooo…"

"Are you sure?" I ask disappointed.

"Do you…_want_ me to hate you?" he asks in confusion.

Well, yes, because that would mean you're back to normal, but I just shake my head.

"Good. Because I don't." He turns back to the window. "I don't even know why you would think that."

I start banging my head against the glass in frustration.

"Are you okay?" Izaya asks giving me a concerned look. I wave him away and keep banging my head, gently, against the glass, careful not to break it. I want to throw something at him and demand that he hate me and act normally. I can't. The only way to burn through this frustration is banging on the window.

Why

_Bang _

Won't

_Bang _

You

_Bang_

Remember?

_Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. _

Someone taps me on the shoulder. I look up to see Shinra. "What?" I ask shooting him an angry glare.

"I…well, I was thinking…and talking to Celty…and I think her suggestion, sending Izaya to live with you, is a good idea. Do you think you could take him home with you tomorrow?"

"Fine," I say.

"Oh, good!" Shinra claps his hands together.

"I'm going home now," I say, lighting a cigarette. Izaya throws me a frantic glance as I walk towards the door, but I ignore it and walk out the door.

I've barely closed it before I fling it open again on an impulse. "Do you know who I am?" I demand. Izaya whips around surprised to see me back so quickly, but obviously relieved.

"Yes, Father," he says almost sarcastically.

Hoping that it was meant as a joke I continue. "But what's my name, Izaya?" I press.

"Shizu-chan of couse. Ask something harder."

Hearing that I want to do two things: throw the door at him and hug him because as much as the nickname annoys me it means he still remembers some things. I settle for throwing down my cigarette and stamping on it before grinning and leaving the apartment once again.

Maybe things aren't as hopeless as they seem. I just have to take the things Izaya does remember and connect them to the things he doesn't, then maybe his memory will come back and we'll be fighting on the streets again.

Good times.

By the time I get back to the apartment the dog has shredded an old pillow nearly beyond recognition. I clean up the mess, let him out, and feed him some of the food Shinra made me buy for him. To hear him talk about the proper nutrition for a growing puppy you'd think he was a vet now too.

I fall exhausted into bed still in my clothes and fall asleep to the crunching sound of puppy's sharp teeth chewing up his food. Just as I fell into unconsciousness I think, _Izaya needs to rename that guy. And I need some earplugs. _


	7. Everything Goes Down the Drain

**Sorry this sooooo late. I truly am. I had some security issues and a lot of schoolwork to keep up on, plus I'm trying to finish my original story. I promise things will get much more regular after this. **

* * *

Even though two of the most important people in Ikebukuro are out of sorts life in the city goes on normally. Rushing past the two still stones in the water. Even though it lost its informant and it's street fights between the biggest rivals in the city it doesn't seem to notice. Maybe it does and it just doesn't let on, but I'm starting to think that the city just doesn't care what happens to us even though some would say we're vital to its existence.

I walk through Shinra's front door only to be greeted by silence.

"Hello?" I call. This isn't what I had been expecting on my walk here at all. I thought Shinra and Celty and Izaya would be right here waiting because yesterday they all seemed so excited about the informant's relocation. When no one answers me call a cold feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. I walk up through the house looking into every room, but they're all empty and silent. The last room I check is the room Izaya has been staying in. I push the door open and an apprehensive scene meets me eyes.

Celty and Shinra are standing together. For the first time since Izaya showed up the dulluhan isn't wearing her helmet in the room and Shinra's arms are wrapped protectively around her shaking form. There's a limp shape on the bed Izaya's been staying in covered in a blanket.

"What happened?" I ask in bewilderment. I don't know what to make of the whole scene.

Celty and Shinra jump in surprise and turn to stare at me. The underground doctor quickly wipes his hand over his eyes and puts his glasses back on. I'm surprised he wasn't wearing them when I walked in.

"We have some, bad news," he says. Celty turns back to Shinra and he pulls her closer.

"Well what is it?" I demand when Shinra doesn't continue.

"I-Izaya, well. This is very hard for me to say, Shizuo. After he was looking so well the other day, but…well…."

"Spit it out!" I yell.

"It's Izaya he's, well, he-"

I quickly move to the form on the bed and pull back the sheet. Izaya's lying there motionless. There's not an IV sending drugs into his veins and his skin is pale white. I pull the sheet off a little farther revealing two bandages wrapped around his forearms from his wrists to his elbows.

"He's not dead," Shinra says, joining me at Izaya's bedside. "But he tried."

Then with Celty's help he recounted the story.

Apparently Celty had been trying to get Izaya to eat something. He still hadn't had anything to eat since the feeding tube was removed, but Izaya was edgy and wouldn't eat. Celty tried everything imaginable outside the realm of force-feeding the food to him, but he still wouldn't eat. Celty was trying to reason with him when he reached out and pulled her helmet off. Curiosity had finally gotten the better of him, but in his fragile state of mind he couldn't take it. Even in his weakened state he managed to dodge past Celty and hide from her. She searched for him and as soon as Shinra got back home from a job he had he assisted her. After another sweep of the house they found him lying in Celty's motorcycle garage in a pool of blood with Shinra's medical scalpel gripped in his hand.

"HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN? YOU'RE A DOCTOR AND YOU'RE THE HEADLESS RIDER OF IKEBUKURO! HE'S WEAKER THEN A CHILD HOW COULD HE GET AWAY FROM YOU?! WHY ARE YOU EVEN LEAVING KNIVES OUT?! THAT'S NOT SAFE!"

"We're terrible sorry, Shizuo. Celty is too, she never meant for it to happen and she feels awful if you'd just listen to her," Shinra protests in a desperate attempt to calm me down, but I'm past that point.

"I DON'T CARE! BEING SORRY ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE ANYTHING!"

I sent a cabinet flying past Shinra's head and through the wall, followed by two other large objects.

"Stop! Think of Izaya!" Shinra yells.

That makes me pause. I drop the heavy object I'd been prepared to throw breathing heavily. Shinra flinches away from it a little bit, but holds his ground.

"You have to believe that we're doing everything possible to help Izaya right now, Shizuo. Now if you want to help him get better I advise taking him to your house before he wakes up and we'll continue his medical treatment from there. He's lost a lot of blood and had quite a scare, but I gave him a transfusion and moving to a new environment should help with that. Can you do that, Shizuo?"

I look into his eyes and realize something. This whole time he's been taking care of Izaya he was afraid. He didn't want me to take him but now that this has happened he has no choice but to trust me not to kill the flea. It shocks me that he would have so little trust in me while at the same time I realize it's true. I vow right then never to lose control again. No matter what I will never become angry enough to hurt anyone unknowingly.

"I can do that," I say.

"Good."

Shinra gave me a pack of medical supplies and explained what they were for. Then, after giving me instructions on taking care of him he sends me off.

I carry Izaya's blanket wrapped form through the chill streets. Everything seems like a threat now. Even Izaya waking up sounds like a dangerous scenario. This is making me paranoid. I worry that it's too cold and Izaya will get hypothermia, which is ridiculous because the temperature isn't getting that cold yet. I worry that someone will try to pick a fight with me. I worry that Izaya's cuts will start bleeding again. I worry that he'll die of starvation or dehydration. I worry he'll remember me and freak out.

When I finally get back home I have to step around the dog, which keeps getting in my way which only worries me more, before laying Izaya gently on the couch. I turn up the heat a little, just in case, and sit down next to him. He looks so weak and vulnerable. Like a child. I push some of his raven hair out of his face.

* * *

Almost an hour later he stirs and opens his eyes. I don't know what Shinra gave him but it's still affecting him now.

He eyes are wide and panicked and his breathing is so quick I'm afraid he's hyperventilating. Izaya sits up pulls his arms out of the blankets and stares at his bandaged arms as if he doesn't believe what he's seeing. Slowly a tear rolls down his cheek followed quickly by another one. He looks up at my face. His expression is so hopeless and desolate it even makes me sympathetic.

"Izaya," I say. "Why would you do that?" It's a stupid question, but it's the only thing I can come up with after seeing Shinra, Celty, and now the flea himself breaking down.

"I just want it all to end. Why can't it be over?" he asks quietly.

"I don't know," I answer. "But if you give up now I guess you'll never find out."

His head falls into his hands and his shoulders start shaking uncontrollably. It catches me off guard. Seeing the flea cry nearly freezes me in place, but some instinct takes over and I put my arm around his shoulders letting him cry into my shirt. Any other time I would have been seriously annoyed, but somehow it doesn't make me angry. I just let him cry. And cry. And cry. And cry. And cry. It gets to the point where I am about to get a towel and wipe up the puddle I'm sure he's about to make. When he sobs finally subside I realize it's because he fell asleep. I start to carefully move him off of me when he shifts and his eyes open a little bit. He looks around while I wait for him to freak out or start crying again, instead he closes his eyes and his breathing becomes deep and regular again. Unable to move I slowly drift off as well.

* * *

When I wake up he's still asleep. Unable to get up I carefully reach into my pocket and pull out a cigarette. Carefully extracting a lighter I light it up and stick it between my lips. I suck the smoke into my lungs and sigh, sending a trail of smoke into the shafts of early morning sunlight coming through the windows of the apartment.

Izaya opens his eyes just as I'm putting out the cigarette. Immediately he starts coughing violently and I realize my mistake. The smoke irritates his lungs. I open a window to clear out the smoke and give him some of the cough medicine Shinra sent.

After that I make breakfast while carefully watching him to make sure he doesn't try anything. There's not really anything like a medical scalpel lying around in my apartment, but you never know. Izaya has always been creative.

Shinra told me that Izaya wouldn't be able to take a lot of foods that are hard to digest and gave me a list of things that would be good for the flea. I settle on heating up some broth because it's the easiest thing to do.

The whole time I'm making breakfast Izaya doesn't move. He sits on the couch petting his puppy. His brown eyes are fixed on something only he can see, unless there's something weird on my wall that I don't know about. What with his blank stare and repetitive petting motions he looks like he's hypnotized. It sort of fits the description of what Shinra told me to look for in shock, but I'm too lazy to look up what to do about it. My philosophy is: if he's not flipping out he should just be left alone.

I set out his broth and my breakfast on the table.

"Do you want something to eat?" I ask, hesitantly. His current state is starting to creep me out.

He snaps back to reality and looks sharply at me. "Not really," he says, listlessly.

I sigh. Shinra said this might happen, but he also said that even though I am no longer allowed to force the food down his throat I should do everything possible to get him to eat it. 'At this point only Izaya can decide whether he wants to keep on living or not, we can only point him in the right direction.'

"It's good," I say, trying to tempt him. "It's nice and hot."

His eyes start to glaze over to the point where I can't even tell if he's looking at me anymore.

"Izaya?" I call.

He snaps back. "Yes?"

I point to the bowl and his nose wrinkles in disgust. At the same time his eyes light up as he smells the food.

"I made it, you can trust me."

He stares longingly at the food. Hunger is obviously starting to win over his inhibitions. "Well?" he snaps finally. "It's not as though I can get up and walk, I can barely sit up! Are you going to tease me or let me eat it?"

Oh yeah. I feel the tips of my ears grow hot as I realize the obvious: if Izaya could barely walk across a room before his episode there's no way he's going to walk now.

I carry the bowl into the living room and sit next to him on the couch. He instantly shrinks away from me before catching himself. I hand Izaya the spoon, but hold the bowl myself because I don't want him spilling it all over my floor. I don't want to clean up avoidable messes. With a shaking hand Izaya dips the spoon in and brings it up to his lips, spilling a lot of it before it even makes it down his throat.

After that first spoonful he can barely eat the soup fast enough. This causes him to spill more soup and finally I stand up and go to the kitchen to get a straw. If he can just drink it out of the bowl he won't spill any and it's not as though there's actually anything in the broth.

When I come back he has a stricken expression on his face as if I just slapped him.

"What?" I ask, sitting back down and giving him the straw.

"I thought you weren't going to let me have any more like…." He trails off and drink his soup.

When he's done I take the bowl back into the kitchen and feed the dog. After that I sit down and have my own breakfast. While I'm eating I call Tom and ask for a few days off work. I feel bad asking for all this time off. One: It seems so ungrateful to just skip out on work when Tom's done so much for me and two: if I can't keep this job I'll feel twice as guilty for letting my brother down. But with Izaya in his present condition it can't be helped. Tom is understanding enough, considering the only information I can give him is that I have to take care of a sick relative and gives me as many days off as I need. I promise I'll be back as soon as possible and he tells me not to hurry.

"Who was that?" Izaya asks as soon as I hang up the phone.

"My boss, Tom. I had to ask for some days off so I can take care of you," I explain so he won't jump to conclusions that I'm selling him out or anything.

Izaya nods.

"You can watch some TV if you want," I say as he starts another blank staring episode. "There might be some reality show on."

Izaya shoots me a disgusted look. "There's nothing real about those shows it's all a lot of staged drama. Real humans are so much more interesting." He looks longingly at my apartment window.

"I don't get Shinra's type of view. People or otherwise," I say absently. Izaya seems to shrink to half his already small size. I mentally hit myself over the head with a vending machine for saying something so stupid. Izaya probably doesn't want to remember Shinra or his apartment right now. "You can still check it out though," I say quickly.

"No, it's okay," Izaya squeaks. "I'd rather stay here."

I nod sharply, still mad at myself.

The puppy jumps off of Izaya's lap and scampers over to its food, gobbling up the kibble quickly. Now that it's not malnourished and filthy it's actually a pretty good looking dog. I look at Izaya, comparing their transformations. The dog looks great, almost the perfect picture of health. Still on the skinny side, but otherwise, perfectly healthy. Izaya on the other hand, while not as skinny, dirty, or sick as when I found him, looks paler and more depressed. He has large, dark circles under his eyes as if he hasn't slept in weeks and his eyes are bloodshot. His expression and movement express fear and anxiety while the puppy is happy and content. In short: I'm a failure at taking care of humans, but I can take care of animals.

After I finish breakfast I wash all the dishes. I walk into the living room and sit on a chair that is positioned just the right way to catch the sunlight. I turn to Izaya.

"Izaya, can you-can you tell me what's wrong?" I ask in the hopes that maybe if I get all the information I can put it together into a solution. It sounds like a really Izaya-like plan, but it might work.

Izaya looks up, surprised to hear me talking. "Everything. I'm scared, more scared then I've ever been in my entire life, but even though I know that I can't remember anything about my life. Not my family, or my friends, or anything about myself. Sometimes I see something and it sparks a memory and I remember something, but it's never anything important and then I remember…being…captured and tortured…..and-and I don't know if I'll ever remember anything again or if I even want to because every time I do it brings back other memories." He buries his face in his hands. "I know I like fatty tuna-a lot, in fact, but just looking at it….it just makes me so sick. I just can't make myself eat it anymore. I don't even want to think about it anymore."

That sounds awful. Did they do that with everything Izaya likes? Is it some sort of safeguard so he'll never even try to remember?

Izaya lifts his head and starts talking again, "But then there's you and I don't even know what to think anymore. You threw that thing at me and I wasn't scared. It hurt a lot, but I think…for the first time ever I remembered something about myself. Everything just felt right at that moment and I didn't know what to think. Then you found me and-and took care of me and I don't know. I've never felt that way about anything like that before ever since I got away. You're the first person I've ever looked at and been able to trust like this. But I don't know. You took me to that place and you left me and every day I thought you were never coming back, but you always did and then….." he breaks off, but it's more than that. It looks like he's shut down. All the light in his eyes and emotion on his face seem to just switch off like he's a computer program and the program ended so it shut down.

"I-Izaya?" I ask. He doesn't answer, just stares blankly into space and nothing I do can snap him out of it. Finally I give up, letting him come around on his own time.

I think about what Izaya said about the ootoro and stuff and guilt suddenly washes over me. Celty and I had tried to make him eat that ootoro and then when he refused we'd actually forced it down his throat. We are horrible people. I wasn't even thinking, but how could I be expected to think of something like that? I don't know what's wrong with him. Shinra is the one who should be expected to know stuff like that. But why didn't Izaya eat the sushi that Shinra brought him? Was he just too upset from the ootoro episode or was it something else? The more I think about it the more I come up blank. There has to be an obvious answer, but nothing pops up.

"I can't think like this! That's Izaya's job. I just throw stuff around when I get mad and hope for the best. How am I even supposed to do this?" I demand of no one in particular.

"You'll figure it out."

I look over at Izaya, he hasn't changed since I last looked at him. But I heard him say it. I get an eerie chill running down my back and shiver. This is not normal. Eventually his eyes close and he falls asleep for the rest of the day. I mostly go around my business, casting nervous glances at him every so often until I finally go to bed.

The next day goes basically the same way and so does the next one and the next one and the next one. It's a never-ending cycle. A _dull_ never-ending cycle. As Izaya's health progresses he slowly starts to eat normal food again. Shinra checks on him every so often, mostly while he's asleep and is pleased with the informant's progress.

"It's amazing how well he's recovered," Shinra marvels at the end of one such visit. I nod because he _has _recovered, physically. "Any progress with his mind?" Shinra asks.

"No, he says he remembers more each day, but not anything before…well, whatever," I say. Izaya always fades out when he starts talking about his kidnapping and I seem to be picking up the habit.

Shinra reaches into his bag and pulls out a bottle of medicine. "Try giving him this, I think it might help. I nod and put it in my pocket. "Tell me as soon as you see any results, no matter what they are." With that Shinra turns and leaves, waving cheerily. I got back inside and wake Izaya up.

"Wake up, Izaya. C'mon, wake up," I say, shaking him gently. He sleeps a lot, Shinra says this is a sign of depression, but I like to think he's just healing faster.

Izaya slowly opens his eyes. "Wha-?"

"I need you to take this and then you can go back to sleep," I say gently, pulling the bottle out of my pocket. I check it out. The label doesn't say much so it must be something Shinra whipped up himself. There are a few typed instructions that say: _Take full bottle for best results. _

"What is it?" he asks.

"Medicine to help you feel better," I say, unscrewing the cap.

"I feel fine."

"Take it anyway," I snap.

"I'll take it tomorrow."

After a lot of arguing and yelling he finally takes it and we both go to bed.


End file.
